People with web pages usually want visitors, there’s no doubt about that. They also want to know how likely they are to get visitors, which is why many website creators tend to be very concerned with a little something called “PageRank.” Should you be concerned about PageRank? It couldn’t hurt.

What Is PageRank Anyway?

PageRank is a Google application that essentially tells search engines how popular your site is. Although it is a way to rank web pages, PageRank is in fact named after its creator Larry Page, one of the founders of Google. PageRank tells Google how high to rate your site when it is called up by search terms, based on how useful it thinks your site will be to the person searching.

How Does PageRank Work?

On the most simple level, PageRank works by tabulating how many other sites link to the site in question. When one site has a link to another site it is essentially interpreted by PageRank as a “vote” for that site. The more votes you get, the higher your PageRank. To add to the fun, these votes are rated, so that links from a more valuable site count as more votes.

How Can You Take Advantage of PageRank?

Link building of course! Get more legitimate sites to link to yours and watch your PageRank grow. You can do this in many ways, including trading links with other sites, providing highly useful information that other sites will want to link to, and simply getting your URL out there on the Internet as much as possible to develop interest.

When you start your link building adventures, don’t expect a boost in PageRank right away (you can see your or any page’s PageRank on the Google toolbar). The results typically take a few months to update. Also remember that the best thing for your site is to get quality links for a good reason. Fishing for links that you don’t really deserve may not improve your PageRank and may also get unwanted negative attention from Google. Focus on using your site to contributing to the Internet community and your PageRank issues just may take care of themselves.